Plains

After making a small breakfast, caring for the horses, and redressing Finn's wound (which was worse, but not significantly so), the little group packed up and left their sheltered copse of trees.

It had been rainy and storming when they arrived, so the sight that awaited as they topped the next rise surprised three of the party.

Roland smiled as he gazed towards his city, his home. It was a point on the horizon, but visible since the air had been cleansed by a night's rain.

The gentle rolling forest gave way to a wide, low plain below them. A town lay not far ahead of where they'd made camp. If they'd known how close they were to manmade shelter, they would not have made do with the trees and the wagon through the torrent.

Wildgrasses and flowers swayed gently in a sight that delighted Mayra above the others. She longed to climb down from the wagon and frolic through the open air, making necklaces and crowns from the flowers. Maybe she would ask Riley if she could walk for a time, if that would not slow them down too much.

The plain stretched forward until it became gently rolling hills dotted with the occasional town, rising and falling until they rose to become a majestic mountain range in the distance. The city of Klain lay among the highest of the hills.

"Well, time's wasting, let's go!" Riley snapped the reins as the others stared at the sight before them.

Roland rode on horseback beside the cart. "We should be able to arrive there tomorrow. If you don't mind me riding ahead into the towns, I'd like to check at each apothecary to see if they've acquired any new supplies of the herbs I need since I've been away. I would hate to return to my master completely emptyhanded."

"Not completely emptyhanded," Mayra joined in cheerfully, "You've brought him a new patient!"

Roland chuckled. He could only imagine Dr. Sherman's face as he brought the beautiful young woman home. As a boy, he'd brought injured birds and the occasional sick puppy home with pleading eyes to see what the doctor could do.

"Time'll come, my boy, when you're bringing a young lady instead of animals to meet with me." The doctor had said to him, shaking his head. That day had come, but not quite in the way the Doctor had meant. Right?

Roland shook off the thought. "I'll see you in the next town. Hopefully I'm able to find what I need before you get there." He nudged Buck into a quick trot. He hated to leave the cart behind, but it would save time this way to not delay them in each town as he searched. Finn needed to get to the city sooner than later.

The day passed quickly in this way. They passed one town in the morning and two between lunch and supper time. They hoped to make it to the next one before nightfall; a helpful citizen advised them it had a small inn with rooms for rent.

Sleeping in a real bed sounded heavenly if they could afford it. The ground and the hard wood of the wagon both got old quickly, particularly for Finn with her steadily worsening injury. And, obviously, the further they went tonight, the closer they would be to the city come morning.

Klain, for its part, had steadily grown larger on the horizon. After crossing the plain, each hill they topped gave a closer view of their destination. It became clear that a large lake, fed by a river, rested in the deep valley to one side of the city. A great wall surrounded the city, and bridges marked each gate into it.

Roland explained as they travelled together; Klain's aversion to and preparation for war did not stop at requiring military service from every man (this in itself was news to the three from a village so far that no one had demanded service of its residents). The city was practically a fortress. On one side, the lake and river guarded its walls. On the other, a sheer cliff face rose almost 500 feet above the rooftops. The city's topography was varied, low near the water and peaking in places before sloping down again as it met the cliff.

Every entrance into the city, Roland explained, was either a bridge or a tunnel culminating in a gate. The bridges over the river were specially designed to be sturdy, but collapsible at a moment's notice. The tunnels, similarly, were able to be easily collapsed, all at the signal of a special siege horn only blown in dire emergency.

Additionally, each resident of the city had a role in time of siege. There were designated storages underground where all food was to be brought and protected. In the event that an attacking force had trebuchets, catapults, or other ranged means of attack, the women and children immediately carried all food and spare water containers to their assigned location and hide until the all clear was given.

The men, after their year of military training, were assigned a commander and an outpost on the wall or within the city where they were to report, sword in hand and armor on. Four times a year, the entire city practiced this highly choreographed routine to make sure all could carry it out as quickly as possible.

With the far horizon visible from the city's parapets, it was unlikely any substantial force would be able to sneak close before being spotted, but readiness and caution were mantras of Klain's tradition.

It was almost nightfall when they reached the next town. A sign declared it to be the township of Marim. They quickly located the inn with instruction from a helpful townsperson. It was a larger building than Finn had been in during her entire life.

It stood two stories tall, with a tavern type restaurant that served food on the ground floor. Stairs to the side of the large room the party entered declared the bedrooms to be upstairs. As Roland was the most experienced by far at interacting with strangers, he spoke for them and negotiated with the proprietor for two rooms for the night, a place in the stable for the horses and cart, and four hot meals.

They had considered stopping to eat on the road, but decided that a small portion of already-made food would be wisest if they were to reach the town before sunset. As such, supper time had long past and the small makeshift meal had not satisfied them. Riley went to take the horses and cart to the stable, (not knowing these strange townspeople, he wanted to make sure the horses and belongings would be well-guarded against thievery), while Roland guided the women to a table in the large room. Finn was getting very adept with her crutch, but she was tired after the long day.

Roland's medical eyes noted Finn's paleness, and the slight sheen of sweat across her brow despite the cool temperature. He worried over these details more than he might normally have. One reason was obvious; on the rare occasion Dr. Sherman had lost a patient, he subtly fretted more over the next few before he came back to his calm, fully rational demeanor. Roland could only imagine that he would have the same tendency.

There was something more pushing at the back of his mind, though. That alone could not account for the anxiety in his heart. Abby had been close to death when he'd come upon her; it was unlikely he ultimately could have saved her no matter the resources at his disposal. The fact that she'd lasted days in his care was not any real indication that she could have recovered from her wounds.

Finn, on the other hand, was in no immediate crisis. He should be able to get her care in time, and he'd been able to purchase very small quantities of herbs from the towns today. It wasn't enough to restore the needs of Dr. Sherman's practice, but there should be plenty for a single patient.

Still, every time today he'd left the group behind, he'd scanned and mentally catalogued everything about Finn so that when they reunited he could assess whether she'd worsened. Every time he saw her again, he breathed a sigh of relief that she was alert. His heart would slow its anxious thudding, then speed back up again when Finn spotted him and smiled in greeting.

After a short while, a kind-looking older woman brought bowls of stew with bread and flagons of water for the travelers. Riley joined and sat down just in time for its arrival.

"Were you satisfied by the arrangements for the horses?" Asked Roland by way of conversation. Riley was a bit of an enigma to him, and Roland wanted to know him better.

"I suppose," said Riley. He dug into the meal, clearly not in the mood for conversation.

Oh well.

Aside from commenting on the taste of the food, the freshness of the bread, the size of the building, and other mundane topics, the meal passed in silence. Finn seemed to be fading fast and would clearly need to be taken to bed soon.

"Can you make it up the stairs with your crutch, or do you need help?" Mayra asked before Riley could. She knew her friend was less likely to put on a brave face and go it alone if she were the one asking.

"I could try," Finn offered weakly, abhorring the thought of being carried or helped in front of strangers in a strange place.

Just then, a man came from outside, looked around the room, and pointed to Riley.

"You sir! Your horse is misbehaving and you must come deal with the creature."

Riley sighed, "I'll be back," he said to the table and went to see what the matter was.

Finn watched him go in silence, and blinked slowly and sleepily. She barely smothered an unladylike yawn. "If I didn't know better, I would think you'd mixed some medicine into my drink to make me tired," She accused Mayra with a smile, "but I hurt too much for that to be the case." Her smile faded as she admitted her pain level to the others.

"Let's get her upstairs to rest." Mayra suggested. "I don't think she can make it, can you carry her please?"

Roland's eyes widened, but he nodded. Finn stood shakily with the table for support, and without protest raised one arm to wrap around his neck. As he lifted her, their faces came close together and suddenly she felt all sleepiness leave her body.

She shivered slightly, and he frowned, "Are you cold? When we get to your room I will check for a fever." He'd gotten one room for the women and one for the men, so as not to waste money.

Finn didn't reply, for she had no answer. Maybe she was feverish. She felt flushed and cold at the same time. She swallowed. Her throat was a little dry too.

The three headed up the stairs with Mayra leading, holding a candle and bags containing things they would need overnight.

She led the way into the room, and Roland laid Finn gently on the bed. He set about redressing her wound, but doing it here, in a wide, almost-empty room on a bed, felt much more intimate than inside a crowded little wagon. His hands shook slightly as he worked.

"I'm all better now, right?" Finn tried to put aside her crippling modesty and tease him lightly. She could see he was not quite himself and wanted to lighten the mood.

"I hope that will be the case very soon," He responded. He didn't want to lie and was very far from a teasing mood at the moment. He completed his task quickly, eager to be out and away from the emotions pulling at him.

"Keep an eye out for fever, and if you need emergency help in the night, I--we--will be right next door," Roland advised the ladies unnecessarily. "Goodnight, ladies." And with that, he left.

If he'd known the conversation that awaited him in his own room, he might have lingered a little longer.